Just What He Needed
by The Renowned Obscurity
Summary: Volkner was pretty sure an awkward date set up by Flint was not what he needed to cheer up. But that idea begins to change as the date begins... Oneshot Volkner x Candice


**This is my what I believe to be my longest one-shot eber and it's for Senirasushipping (VolknerxCandice)! Cute, no? This is definitely more fluff and less seriousness compared to Clash. But then again, that was a totally different couple. Oh and there's the _tiniest_ hint of Mossshipping in the beginning. Cuz it's cute too.**

**So yeah, enjoy.**

**Disclaimah: Pokemon is not mine. But I suppose I own my spur-of-the-moment OC, Candice's Gym assistant, Krystal.**

**And on a random note… Volkner likes short skirts:: laughs hysterically, scaring off the few readers this fic will probably have ::**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Just What He Needed**

Flint stared intently at his long-time friend Volkner, who was sitting on a boulder, elbows on his knees, chine resting in his hands. They were both on the beach in Sunyshore City, watching the waves of the ocean.

"You seem really down again," Flint observed. Volkner merely shrugged and stared down at the sand.

"What you need," Flint said, "is not a good battle, but a good woman."

The blond Gym Leader glanced up at Flint like he was insane. But still, he said nothing as Flint began to ponder suitable females.

"Well I'm pretty sure there's something going on between Gardenia and Roark… Maylene's too young… Fantina's too old…" he paused, suddenly feeling an ominous presence. "I mean, no offense to Fantina or anything," he added quickly. He paused again, suddenly coming to a realization.

"How about Candice! You two would definitely make a good couple," Flint mused.

"I hope you're joking," Volkner finally said, "I mean, there's nothing wrong with Candice or anything, but I don't think an awkward date is exactly what I need to cheer up…"

"Nothing wrong with Candice you say?!" Flint said, ignoring the last part of Volkner's statement. "It's settled then! We'll just send a letter to Candice, inviting her on a date, and all will be well!"

"You can't make me write that letter," Volkner stated.

"No problem! I'll just write one for you!"

With that said, Flint proceeded to write a letter addressed to Candice, with Volkner making no move to stop him. Flint attached the letter to his Driftblim, who floated away to Snowpoint City.

X

"Miss Candice! A letter has arrived for you!"

The Ice-type Gym Leader's young assistant, a spiky, blue-haired girl name Krystal, approached Candice.

"A letter for me? From who? Oh, and I told you not to call me _Miss _Candice."

Krystal nodded and turned the letter over in her hands. She shrugged at the sight of the blank paper.

"Dunno," she said, "There's nothing on the outside… But it was delivered by a Driftblim, if that helps at all."

Candice shook her head and took the note from Krystal. She opened the letter and her brown eyes scanned over the words. Her face lit up as she read the letter's contents.

"Who's it from, Miss Candice?" Krystal asked.

"Volkner…" Candice said slowly. "And I told you not to call me that!"

X

"So what _exactly_ did you write?" Volkner asked his red-afro-ed friend. Flint thought for a moment, then recited the words in his letter.

"Dear, lovely, Candice," he began, "I have realized I have fallen in love with you. Your bewitching beauty causes my heart to pound every time I think of you. Please, Candice, grace me with your presence and accompany me on a date at Lake Valor. I'm sorry it's such a long way, but I can't stand to be away from you much longer. Plus, I have a super romantic date planned for us. Please meet me on the shore of Lake Valor, 3pm, this Saturday."

Volkner's eyes widened and his jaw dropped with every word Flint spoke.

"Are you serious?"

Flint smiled, and then began to laugh wildly.

"Kidding, I'm kidding," he said, "I simply invited her to spend a day at Lake Valor with you. Tomorrow." The relief Volkner felt suddenly disappeared and was replaced with panic

"Tomorrow?!"

X

"Volkner asked you on a date?" Krystal exclaimed, staring up at Candice's blushing face. She nodded slowly.

"Aren't you worried you won't make it in time?" Krystal asked.

"I'll leave now," Candice said, standing up and shrugging on a jacket. "And I have a collapsible bike I can ride once I make it out of the snow. If I focus, I'll be there in no time."

She smiled at her young assistant, left the Snowpoint City Gym, and began trudging through the knee-deep snow.

X

Volkner stood nervously on the shore of Lake Valor. He took a deep breath, and Flint's last words to him echoed through his head.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. I'm sure Candice will be _crazy_ about you."

Volkner sure hoped so. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he would be willing to pursue a relationship with Candice. This date just had to go well.

It was then Volkner heard a rustling noise as someone emerged from the trees behind him. He turned to see Candice, looking somewhat anxious. Volkner smiled at her warmly and she felt her anxiety melt away.

_Just focus and it will be okay,_ she thought to herself, breathing deeply.

"Glad to see you made it," Volkner said, "Sorry it was so far away."

"It's no problem," Candice replied. "A change of scenery is nice once in a while anyway." An awkward tension then formed between the two as Volkner tried to think of something to say.

"So… um, how familiar are you with this area?" he asked, breaking the silence. Then he mentally scolded himself for asking such a stupid question.

"Not very…" Volkner took this opportunity to turn the situation around.

"I guess we can start by taking a tour," he said, leading the way out of Lake Valor and to the surrounding lakefront.

"This area is beautiful," Candice commented. "They managed to incorporate a busy civilian area with nature."

"It was a good pace to grow up near," Volkner replied.

"Must've been nice. I've always been used to the cold and the snow and nothing else."

Volkner assumed she must have been _extremely_ comfortable with the cold, glancing at her short, brown skirt. He felt himself starting to blush, watching the fabric move against her legs.

"Anything wrong?" Candice asked, looking at him. "Your face looks red. Are you sure you're not hot? Or sick?"

Volkner shook his head rapidly, her observation not making him feel any less embarrassed. Nevertheless, he managed to move their conversation back on track and they talked with ease until the rocky slopes and blue-roofed buildings of Valor's lakefront came into view.

"This is a popular vacation spot," Volkner said, "It's hard to get reservations at the hotel. But they're always willing to help out any Trainers that pass through." Candice nodded, then her stomach grumbled loudly. She blushed, then laughed.

"I haven't eaten anything since I left," she explained.

"Well it's a good things there's a gourmet restaurant up ahead. C'mon, I'll treat you."

X

"The Seven Star's Restaurant, eh?" Candice remarked, "I've seen it praised on TV before…" Volkner nodded.

"That's to be expected. The food's really good," he said.

The talkative crowd of the restaurant went silent as the two Gym Leaders entered. Normally, the patrons of the restaurant would be all over any arriving Trainers for a battle, but at the sight of the two strongest Gym Leaders in Sinnoh, they backed down.

"H-hi," a waitress stuttered, walking up to them. "Follow m-me to your table…"

Conversation mostly returned to the restaurant, but others kept their eyes glued to Candice and Volkner. They sat down, looked over the menu, and told their order to the young, nervous waitress.

It wasn't long before she brought out dishes of food back out to them.

"This is pretty good," Candice said, swallowing a spoonful of soup.

"Yeah, it is," Volkner agreed, biting into his burger. "Give my compliments to the chef," he said to their waitress. She nodded quickly and scurried off to the kitchen.

The two finished off their food, paid for the meal (well Volkner paid, though Candice protested at first), and left the Seven Stars Restaurant.

"Now what?" Candice asked, as they stood outside. Volkner shrugged and stretched.

Hey, it wasn't his fault he didn't know what to do on a date he was told about just the day before. But it was no problem, as Candice decided for him.

"Whoa, check out that giant cliff," she said, "I bet the view from up there is great!"

Candice grabbed Volkner's wrist and dragged him towards the cliff. The stood at its summit, in front of want appeared to them to be a suitable climbing spot. Candice made a move to start the ascent, but Volkner stopped her.

"Maybe I should go first," he said, glancing down at her skirt. Again.

"Now who's going to catch me if I fall?" Candice asked innocently. Volkner opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Candice's laugh.

"I'm joking. So go on ahead."

He nodded and began to climb, with Candice close behind.

Once they made it to the top, they couldn't help but stand there, awestruck. Candice was right; the view was spectacular.

Sunyshore City could be seen on one horizon and Pastoria City's Great Marsh on the other. They could also see the calm waters of Lake Valor, with the cave rising out of the center. The rays from the setting sun reflected beautifully off the sea below them. For once it what seemed like a while, Volkner appreciated the true beauty that surrounded him.

A cool breeze blew from the ocean, ruffling Candice's pigtails. Volkner could feel her shivering next to him. He observed she already had a turquoise sweatshirt tied around her waist, but still, he removed his own blue jacket and handed it to her wordlessly.

She accepted it, giggling quietly at Volkner's (adorable) attempt at being a gentleman.

"Maybe we should head back down," Volkner said, "It's getting chilly." He was the one who was cold now, wearing only a thin, black T-shirt.

Candice nodded and began to climb down. It was a bit difficult for her this time, as Volkner's too-big jacket kept falling off her petite frame. But still, they managed and were now standing on a secluded sandy area of the beach.

"You know Candice," Volkner began, looking, not at her, but at the orange sun on the horizon, "I really had fun today, but…" His voice faltered.

"Well I had lots of fun today too," Candice said, "But what?"

"I think you deserve to know that… Well that this whole date thing wasn't my idea. I didn't even write the letter." Candice looked confused, and at a loss for words.

"It was Flint," Volkner explained.

"Flint… The Driftblim… Oh, it makes sense now," Candice said quietly.

"But that doesn't mean I didn't want to," Volkner said quickly, "I mean, I'm really glad he thought this up. Like, if I wasn't I would've stopped him and…"

Volkner's nervous ranting was cut off by Candice reaching up and placing her soft lips on the corner of his mouth.

"Don't worry," she said, smiling. Blushing, Volkner swooped lower and placed an equally soft kiss on her lips. Now, it was Candice's turn to blush.

"It's almost dark," Volkner then observed. "Probably too dark for you to head back today. If you like, I could get you a place to stay in Sunyshore…" An almost mischievous looking smile formed on his lips.

Candice looked up at him, returning the smile, and took his hand.

"I would like that a lot."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Hehe, this makes me giggle. Though the ending seems kind of abrupt to me. I just couldn't think of anything better and wanted to try ending something with speech.**

**But anyway, I'll probably do a sequel to this, but place it in Snowpoint City. And there will be more Volkner loving skirts! Gahahahah!**

**::ahem:: I'm having too much fun with this.**

**So yeah, if you liked it (or didn't, whatever), please drop me a review. Just getting one would make me uber happy!**


End file.
